Hearts survived a second-half comeback by Livingston in their Tennent's
Scottish Cup quarter-final clash at Tynecastle to scrape through to the last
four of the competition for the first time in seven years.
The Gorgie side were two up inside just 10 minutes through goals by Lee Miller
and Jamie McAllister and at the interval looked to be in a commanding position.
However, after making three half-time substitutions, Richard Gough's men
stormed back, scoring through midfielder Craig Easton on the hour mark to set up
a nervy ending for the Gorgie side who, in the end, were glad to hear the final
whistle.
But the home side should never have had to worry. In the most dramatic of
starts, Hearts took the lead in just 60 seconds after Almondvale defender Gus
Bahoken had clumsily fouled Miller 35 yards from goal.
When McAllister's floated free-kick came into the Livi box, it was Miller who
out-jumped the static visiting defence to loop his header from 10 yards over
keeper Colin Meldrum.
Gough had sprung a surprise by pushing central defender Greg Strong into
attack but Livingston already looked crestfallen, struggling to compose
themselves as the Jambos grabbed the initiative.
And in the 10th minute the home side doubled their lead with a well worked
goal of stunning simplicity.
Lithuanian midfielder Saulius Mikoliunas, who was easily the best player on
the pitch, sprinted down the right to pick up a Robbie Neilson pass and when his
cross came over to the back post, McAllister raced in to bullet his close range
header past the helpless Meldrum.
The home side were rampant now and moments later Miller came close to grabbing
his second with a first time drive from 16 yards which skimmed the bar, again
after good work by Mikoliunas on the right hand side of the penalty area.
With Strong now pushed back into defence, Livingston steadied themselves at
the back but there seemed no imminent prospect of a comeback.
It seemed all too easy for Hearts and McAllister set up Burchill 16 yards from
goal but the former Celtic player's turn and shot went wide of the target.
With two minutes of the first 45 remaining, Mikoliunas skinned the hapless
Bahoken on the right hand side of the Livi penalty area but curled his
left-footed shot past Meldrum's right hand post.
Unsurprisingly the stunned Gough changed things around at the interval,
bringing on defender Goran Stanic, midfielder Gabor Vincze, and striker Ferenc
Horvath for Bahoken, Derek Lilley and Mark Wilson.
It was a brave move by the Livi boss who, admittedly, had nothing to lose, but
in the opening stages of the second period little had changed.
Hearts were still in control, if playing slightly below the high tempo of the
first half and the crowd began to urge them on to finish the tie off.
Mikoliunas remained the Gorgie side's biggest threat but gradually, as Livi
senses there could be a chance of fighting their way back into the game, play
drifted towards the Hearts goal although keeper Craig Gordon was still seeing
little action.
However, the West Lothian side gave themselves a life line on the hour mark
with a controversial goal.
Defender Eric Deloumeaux sent midfielder Jason Dair away on the right but
striker James McPake seemed to be in an offside position.
The lineman flagged at first but put his arm down when the Livi striker
ignored the ball and when Dair played it to Easton in at the back post, the
former Dundee United midfielder headed home from close range.
The Jambos' players called for offside against McPake but referee Alan
Freeland ignored their claims and pointed to the centre circle.
The Gorgie had lost all their earlier composure now as born-again Livi went
all out for the equaliser.
In the 87th minute, after O'Brien was hauled back at the edge of the home
side's penalty area by Jambos' substitute Neil MacFarlane, on earlier for
Stephen Simmons, Dair sent his right footed shot just inches wide.
And in the end it was Hearts who were glad to come through a tie they looked
to have sewn up at half-time.
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